Falling Unwanted
by the Anastasia Collection
Summary: [ANASTASIA] By Kelly. After the dance on the Tasha, but before the dream scene. Anya & Dimitri's thoughts about the "almost kiss". ©98. Plz read&review, thx!


**"Falling Unwanted" **   
by Kelly 

Summary: [ANASTASIA] After the dance on the Tasha, but before the dream scene. Anya & Dimitri's thoughts about the "almost kiss". ©98. Plz read&review, thx!   
~*~ 

The three walked into the boat's dining room. Anya breathed in the fresh scent of bread cooking and smiled. She loved the simple room, even though Dimitri and Vladimir claimed that this was a lesser one in comparison to the ones that they themselves had been in. She didn't care. This was the first time that she had been on a ship, let alone in a ship's dining room, and she wanted to make the most of it. 

Dimitri nervously held a chair out for her and she sat down. She wondered if everyone in the room noticed her new dress. She loved it. She couldn't believe that Dimitri had such good taste! Yeah, it was a bit of work to get it fitted, but it was worth it. 

Dimitri sank into a chair next to her and Vlad sat down on the other side of her. They had had to leave Pooka in the cabin, but Anya had promised to bring him something special back from dinner. Dimitri didn't talk throughout the meal much. His mind kept replaying the previous moments... how he had danced with her... come so close to kissing her against his will. 'Why'd you do it?' he asked himself. 'Or rather, why didn't you do it?' 

Vlad noticed his old friend's worried look and gave him an encouraging smile. He then excused himself. Let these two young lovebirds battle it out themselves. That's what they needed, not some 50-some-year-old count getting in their way. 

"I will be right back." He smiled and disappeared into the bathrooms. Dimitri and Anya nervously sat together, Anya twisting her napkin. Dimitri finally reached out and touched her hand to stop it. 

"You're killing the poor napkin," he mumbled with a smile. Anya smiled and dropped the napkin. 

"Of course. Silly me. When I get nervous, I twist and tear everything in sight." She suddenly realized her mistake. Now he knew she was nervous! His eyes turned to look at her and she smiled again. "Imagine, being nervous over seeing this Sophie. I mean, I shouldn't- she sounds positively delightful." She was pleased with her quick recover, and Dimitri nodded, somewhat sadly. Anya inclined her head slightly. Had he wanted her to be nervous around him? Was he nervous too? 

Vlad came back and finished up his meal, making chit-chat to cover up the awkward silences. 'These two children must learn not to be afraid of each other!' Vladimir decided. And he would be the one to do it. A group of people walked out to the deck. Among them was a young couple. This gave Vlad an idea. He'd send Dimitri and Anya out together! If that didn't get them back to normal, or at least not scared of each other, nothing would. 

"Hmm, I feel like some fresh air again... Does anyone want to come on deck with me?" Anya quickly declined but Vlad finally convinced her to join himself and Dimitri. The three walked up and Anya couldn't help but sigh at the beautiful night sky. It was like in a dream. 

"Look at the moon," Anya said, pointing up at the full harvest moon in the sky. Dimitri looked and smiled. 

"It's beautiful." he said. They made polite conversation about moons and oceans, and then they even talked about the animals in the ocean. 

"I've never seen a dolphin, but I've always wanted to," Anya said. Dimitri nodded. 

"I bet even little Pooka would like that." he chuckled. Anya laughed with him. Vladimir looked like he was listening, then slowly backed away from them. They never noticed. They were too busy talking about dolphins. The deck was clear now. Dimitri and Anya didn't notice. Somehow the conversation shifted from dolphins to dogs, then to birds. 

"I always wanted to be a bird. To fly up in the sky, anywhere I wanted too," Anya said dreamily as she watched a bird fly past the moon. Dimitri studied her outline in the moonlight closely. 

"Where would you go?" he asked. She turned to him and leaned her back against the railing. 

"Hmm...? Well, I think... Paris. Definitely." 

"You really do want to find your family, don't you?" Dimitri asked. Anya nodded sadly. 

"More than anything." she sighed. Dimitri ran a hand through his thick brown hair. What had started out as a way to get money suddenly seemed so useless, so... fake. 'It was fake all along, Dimitri,' he scolded himself. Why the change of mind now? Backing out is for idiots. Anyway, she's already committed to this. Did he really want to tell her about his scheme now? 'No,' he decided. 'It's too risky. I'll go through with this as if nothing has changed. Nothing... ' But something *had* changed- his heart. 

"Look at the time!" he suddenly said, glancing at his wristwatch. "Where's Vlad?" Anya shrugged. 

"He must have gone back inside." 

"Then I guess that's where we're supposed to go," Dimitri said. He and Anya walked back down the stairs and to their cabins. But before he got there, his conscious suddenly kicked in full swing. He had to tell her about his deceit. He stopped and turned to talk to her. She looked at him with an obviously surprised face, her lips slightly parted, her head inclined to one side. He felt his heart leap into his throat. He gulped it back down quickly. "Anya, I... " 

"Yes?" 

"I... um, wanted to say that if for some reason tomorrow Marie and Sophie aren't your relatives, Vlad and I will keep helping you look. I promise." 

"Really? Oh, thank you," Anya said. She reached out and hugged him around the neck. He gently patted her on the back, the scent of her hair drifting up to him. He smiled. She smelled heavenly. 

Suddenly the door opened, and Vlad and Pooka were standing there. Anya and Dimitri quickly separated. Vlad pretended not to notice and motioned for them to come in. 

"It's past bedtime, and I personally am exhausted," Vlad said, his eyes half-closed. 

"What are we going to do about beds?" Anya asked. The room had two bunks and a wide floor space where a bed could be made. 

"I'll sleep on the floor," Dimitri volunteered. "And you two can take the bunks." 

"I get the top one!" Vlad said happily. Anya and Dimitri exchanged looks as they thought about their heavy friend sleeping on the top bunk. 

"Just make sure that he doesn't crush you," Dimitri whispered in her ear. She laughed and Vlad turned to look at them. 

"Yes?" 

"Um, I just said that she could... borrow my pajamas since she can't sleep in her new dress," Dimitri said. 

"Oh, but I couldn't..." Anya shook her head. 

"I insist," Dimitri said, opening his carpet bag and pulling out a pair of blue pjs. "I can sleep in my pants and long-sleeved shirt. Don't worry about it." Anya smiled and nodded. 

"Okay... I'll be right back." She walked out of the cabin and to the bathroom. Once she was gone, Vladimir turned to Dimitri. 

"So, my friend, what was that I saw out in the hallway?" Dimitri shrugged. 

"Nothing. I told her that if Marie isn't her family, we'd keep helping her look." Vlad raised an eyebrow. 

"Is that all?" 

"Yes, that's all!" Dimitri snapped. He suddenly felt extremely tired. He just wanted to go to sleep. He quickly unbuttoned his vest and overshirt, then straightened his long shirt. He rolled out a blanket on the floor, stuck a pillow at the head, and laid down. Vladimir still hadn't said anything. He finally sat down on a pillow on the ground and made a loud groan. Dimitri sat up straight in his bed. "Is everything okay, Vlad?" Vlad looked up with a green face. 

"No- I think I'm sick... " Anya walked in at that moment and both men turned to look at her. Vlad saw her as a source of help. Surely she would know some cure for sea-sickness. Dimitri saw her as a source of beauty. She had her long red curls pinned back with her hair ribbon, and the blue of his pajamas matched her eyes. She looked so utterly feminine in his over-sized shirt and pants that he was almost bowled over in wonder. She looked even more like a princess now than in her new dress! She immediately saw Vladimir's green tint. 

"Oh, are you all right?" she asked, bending down next to him. He shook his head and leaned against the wall. A huge storm had started while she had been in the bathroom, and Anya figured that that must be why Vladimir felt so sick. 

"I feel terrible. I can't sleep." 

"I'll stay up the night with you, if you want," she said helpfully. She knew she probably wouldn't be able to sleep because of the noise and rocking anyway. He tried to shake his head no but was too sick. Dimitri was still looking at her in amazement. 

"You better go to sleep, Dimitri. I don't want two sea-sick men on my hands." 

"Yes... go to sleep... " Vlad managed to mumble out. Dimitri was about to protest but fatigue hit him again. He was tired. Yes, that was his problem. A good night's rest would cure anything. He nodded and laid down. 

"Sorry, Vlad... " 

"No problem." With final goodnights, Dimitri was out like a light. Pooka snuggled up near him and went to sleep too. Anya and Vladimir chatted somewhat for about an hour, Anya trying to help him forget his awful sickness and the storm. Vlad finally looked at Dimitri laying on the ground, still asleep, his hair falling into his face. 

"Look at him. He can sleep through anything." Anya laughed and did look. She felt an overwhelming instinct to care for him. He looked so young laying in his makeshift bed, his hair unruly like a boy's. Pooka woke up and yawned, then tried to curl up on Dimitri's pack. 

Suddenly the ship lurched, sending Anya one way against the bed, Vlad the other, and Pooka tumbling off the bag. It flipped over, spilling out some contents; a razor, a pair of socks, and a small trinket. They all rolled over to Anya's feet. Dimitri was still amazingly asleep. She inspected the tiny jeweled box carefully. A shiver suddenly ran through her. 'Must be the cold.' 

"Pretty jewelry box, isn't it?" Vladimir asked. Anya shook her head, still studying the small box. 

"Are you sure that's what it is?" 

"What else could it be?" Vlad asked. He suddenly realized that the storm had calmed somewhat down, and that he felt immensely better. He decided that he would have to go to sleep soon. But he'd stay up a few more minutes... for Anya. 

"Something else," Anya said softly. "Something special. Something to do with a... secret." She laughed at her own idea. "Is that possible?" Vlad couldn't stay awake any longer. He shrugged and started to climb to the top of his bunk. 

"Anything's possible. You taught Dimitri how to waltz, didn't you?" They both laughed at Vlad's joke, then Vlad yawned. "Sleep well, Your Majesty." 

"Good night, Vlad," she said as she tucked the box back into Dimitri's pack and placed it next to him. She still wanted to reach out and touch his face, but refrained herself. Instead she crawled into her own bunk. Vlad's hefty body sunk a little down on her and Pooka through his bunk, and she gently pushed him back up with a laugh. "Good night, Pooka," she whispered. 

_(continues as in the movie)_ __

... 

ANASTASiA™ is copyright of 20thC.Fox, etc. ^_^ 

PS. Believe it or not, this is a work of fiction. All the incidents, names, and characters are imaginary.   
Any resemblence to actual persons etc, living or dead, is completely coincidental. ^_~ 

written by Kelly ©98, edited by SimbiAni™ ©2G4 


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